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Gwinnett's 911: Nerve Center
For Emergency Services
9-1-1, these three simple digits are all that separate us from the assistance that we need in times of emergencies. What a comfort it is when we hear the person on the other end of the line say "Gwinnett 9-1-1, do you have an emergency?" Even though we have all grown accustom to this type of service, the 911 format is still in its infancy in the grand scheme of law enforcement issues.
The goal of creating a universal emergency number got its start in 1958 by the President's Commission of Law Enforcement. There was much controversy in trying to decide on a number that would be easy to remember before the 911 proposal was decided on by AT&T and the Federal Communications Commission. The first system was put into place in Alabama. Then, slowly but surely, this type of emergency request was put into place nationwide and finally made its way into Gwinnett in the early nineties. Many jurisdictions were slow to sign onto the idea as they desired to maintain complete control over the calls that would come to their agencies. Prior to 911, the police, fire, paramedics, and other emergency services answered their own telephone calls with little communication between them. This new "one stop shopping" program eliminated wasted time based on wrong numbers or agencies called that were not responsible for the type of emergency being reported.
From Gwinnett's 911 center, calls for police, fire, ambulance, animal control, and special services are all dispatched by universal communications officers. While some may be assigned to fire and others to police, all of them are available for whatever emergency that might arrive in the county. While Gwinnett's 911 is still developing, they must do so amidst a huge number of calls for service. In the year 2002, Gwinnett's 911 Center handled approximately 500,000 calls. On average 1,200 to 1,500 calls per day are received, all of which are classified as emergency status. Gwinnett answers the 911 calls not only for the county agencies, but also for each of the municipal police departments that operate in Gwinnett County.
Some people remain confused about when one should call 911 rather than the basic number to the police or fire departments. Angie Conley, who is the Director of the 911 Center stated, "Anytime you have an emergency that threatens health, life or property and the services of police, fire or EMS (emergency medical services) are needed, you should call 911. If you are unsure, always dial 911. All other things such as report requests, general information, and cetera should be directed toward the non-emergency numbers."
Gwinnett's 911 is a far cry from the program that was first initiated. Technological advancements known as "enhanced 911" now allows for the phone number and address of the caller to be displayed on the dispatcher's screen. This is also true even if the caller hangs up or does not say anything during the call. These techniques have proved to be invaluable in domestic violence cases or cases where the caller was unable to verbalize their emergency.
As Gwinnett's cultural make-up continues to change, the center has contracted with AT&T's language line to ensure that each caller is able to describe exactly what their emergency might be, even if they are not able to speak English. TDD/TTY machines are also available for the hearing impaired and the dispatchers are well versed in their operation.
As you can imagine, a center of this magnitude is a very expensive investment. However, this bill is not paid primarily by the tax payers, as other emergency services are. The Gwinnett 911 Center is completely subsidized by a 911 subscriber fee that is attached to every phone bill in the state of Georgia. From this subscriber's fee, everything from salaries, to training, to equipment is covered.
Events such as those of September 11, 2001 have taught us how important and vital communications can be in times of emergency. While we hope that these type of emergencies never come to be, Gwinnett's Emergency 911 Center stands ready to serve.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
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